Word: rocke
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Dates: during 1990-1999
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...rakish take-it-or-leave-it attitude until Giant Records snaps it up. As a result, they make music that's informed and intelligent, yet independent and fresh. That's Will Owsley, recommended by his history and spirit and supported by a very strong debut album of 11 rock gems. "Oh No the Radio" and "Coming Up Roses" are brief highlights of surprising vocal sinuations. "I'm Alright" could become an anthem of self-assertion. "Uncle John's Farm" is about as enjoyably pastoral as urban rock gets. The songs here don't address urgent issues or bleed hearts...
...classical references in Paradise Lost, it occurred to me that both of us were missing the point: these soundtracks weren't meant to be, as my friend stated, "the outward expression of the artists themselves." They were just soundtracks to films. Would a typical soundtrack of pop or rock songs be preferable to Williams' work in a film like Raiders of the Lost Ark? Of course not. But more than that, Williams consciously chooses themes that have a precedent people's minds of evoking certain imagery...
...hero, a disconnected observer who feels more than he lets on. And in the delicate construction here, the band proves the same is true of itself. Messner aches with lush compositions that expand both BFF's sound (string arrangements accompany their trademark piano/bass/drum combination) and their identity. Sure, "punk rock for sissies" was a fun label for their often-silly post-kitsch nods to pissed-off ex-boyfriends and love-struck goofballs, but it hardly accommodates the stylish, lingering sway delivered here. The grandiose sweep of "Narcolepsy" leads into a series of cool, ruminative ballads echoing the mellow-sweet classical...
...Which is not to discredit the performances. Neeson is a rock as the stoic Qui-Gon, an aging longhaired maverick among the Jedi who is uncannily certain of Anakin's great potential. And McGregor gives good Alec Guiness in a role that rarely gives him much to do but look concerned and buckle swash. Which he does splendidly--the lightsaber battles are perhaps the most authentically exciting parts of the film, and he and Neeson give us what we secretly missed in the original series--real fighting. We finally get a chance to see why the Jedi are considered...
There's only one rule when it comes to the media hype concerning Built to Spill: Don't believe a word of it. Built to Spill is something much larger than any rock critic or wannabe indie scenester can put into words. The only way truly to understand what has everyone grasping for words and gasping for breath is to fight the crowds at the Middle East on May 22 and 23 and see them in the flesh...